Golf contest badge

ABSTRACT

A golf contestant badge is formed with a shield into which a shallow cavity forming a tray is defined. A flat slab of ferrous material, such as a steel plate, is disposed in the tray and permanently secured to the floor of the tray. The steel plate has a thickness less than the depth of the tray. A magnetic golf ball marker is configured to fit into the tray atop the steel plate. The magnetic golf ball marker is releaseably held in the tray defined in the badge by the force of magnetic attraction between the golf ball marker and the steel slab. The contestant badge has a clip on its back side which has a flat tang that fits into a buttonhole type slit formed in the crown of a golfers hat or the forehead shield of a golfer&#39;s visor. The badge may be removably attached to the hat or visor by inserting the tang of the clip into the reinforced slit.

SPECIFICATION

[0001] The present application is a continuation in part of U.S.application Ser. No. 09/640,054 filed Aug. 17, 2000, which is a divisionof U.S. application Ser. No. 09/426,786 filed Oct. 22, 1999, now U.S.Pat. No. 6,170,088, issued Jan. 9, 2001.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] 1. Field of the Invention

[0003] The present invention relates to an improved badge of the typeutilized by contestants or officials at golf tournaments and othergolfing events.

[0004] 2. Description of the Prior Art

[0005] In the sport of golf considerable attention is given to contestsin the form of tournaments, invitational matches, and other gatheringsin which contestants compete against each other. Quite often the rightto compete as a contestant is established only through an invitation.The contestants so selected are justifiably proud of their status.Furthermore, it is important for the proper management of such eventsfor the operators and persons in charge of the conduct of these eventsto be able to readily distinguish the contestants and the officialssupervising the contest from the observers. In addition, it is importantfor the observers to be able to identify the contestants and officialsso that the observers can avoid interfering with their field of play,line of sight, and so forth. Also, the observers have a strong desire tobe able to recognize the various contestants and officials.

[0006] For these and other reasons contestants and tournamentsupervisors at a golf tournament, and often at other golfing events, arevery typically provided with recognizable badges. These badges ofteninclude a generally flat, expansive shield imprinted with the name ofthe tournament, as well as the name of the contestant or official.However, for tournaments held on an annual or other regular basis it isimportant for some aspect of these badges to be readily identifiablewith the specific tournament currently under way, and for the currentcontestant or official badge to be distinguishable from badges of prioryears. In conventional practice this distinction is achieved by creatinga whole new badge design each time the tournament is held.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0007] The present invention involves a contestant, V.I.P, and playerbadge that has a unique construction that has not previously been usedat golf tournaments and other golfing events despite its veryconsiderable advantages. Specifically, the present invention combinesthe conventional shield of a golf contest badge with a removable,magnetic golf ball marker. The magnetic ball marker is designed withindicia or ornamentation that is unique to the golf tournament or othergolfing event at which it is to be used. For example, the face of theball marker may be hand painted with a tournament logo, year,sponsorship indicia, or some other uniquely identifiable markings.Moreover, the magnetic ball marker serves the dual function of not onlyidentifying the current tournament for which the badge is being used,but is also very useful for marking the position of the player's ball onthe field of play.

[0008] Also, the ball marker serves as a great collectible that attachesmagnetically to any metal surface, such as a refrigerator, a locker, ora personalized recognition plaque. The magnetic ball marker isreleaseably attachable to the shield of the badge so that it can bequickly and easily removed from the shield when required for use to markthe position of a golf ball. Moreover, the badge makes a very convenientand extremely accessible storage device for holding the ball marker whenthe ball marker is not required for use on the field of play.

[0009] A very major advantage of the golf contest badge of the inventionis that the same basic shield design can be used year after year, yetthe badge can be customized for each new tournament by providing it witha golf ball marker uniquely designed for use during a particulartournament. The golf contest badge can be personalized with the name ofeach player or official participating at a club championship,member-guest tournament, governors cup, or any other event held at agolf club.

[0010] A further unique feature of the invention is the combination of ashield for a contest badge, a magnetic golf ball marker, and an articleof golf headwear, such as a golfers hat or visor. The great majority ofgolfers and golf officials wear some article of headwear during golftournaments and other golf related events that are held outdoors. Golfhats and visors serve the very practical purposes of shading theparticipants' eyes, providing a measure of protection from the sun, andproviding protection from precipitation during inclement weather, aswell.

[0011] Most golf contest badges are provided with clips on their backsurfaces that allow the badges to be clipped onto a shirt pocket or ontoa golfer's belt or trousers pocket. The badge is sometimes clipped ontoa shirt pocket, since the elevated position on the golfers chestenhances the visibility of the badge. However, many golfers prefer toplay the game in shirts that do not have pockets since, with repeatedleaning over to pick up a golf ball, articles placed in those pocketsare likely to become lost. Also, an article that weighs down a shirtpocket can interfere with a golfer's stroke, particularly a puttingstroke. To avoid wearing a contestant badge on a shirt pocket thegolfers are faced with the choice of wearing a badge on a belt or on atrousers pocket, or clipping it onto the golfer's bag. However, in theselocations the badge is not nearly as visible as it would be if worn onthe golfer's body at a higher level.

[0012] Some golfers have engaged in the practice of clipping the badgeto the bands of their hats or visors. However, when the badge is worn inthis manner the orientation of the clip is such that the badge shieldmust be turned upside down in order to engage the clip on the hat orvisor band. Although the badge is still recognizable as being a contestbadge, all of the printed indicia, as well as the name of the contestantare oriented upside down to observers.

[0013] According to the present invention the contest badge is providedwith the usual flat clip on its back that allows it to be removably hungon an article of the golfers clothing. However, a conventional golfershat is modified by creating a short slit in the crown of the hat or inthe forehead shield portion of a golf visor and reinforcing that slit inthe manner of a buttonhole. The slit is just long enough to receive theflat clip on the back of the badge. Consequently, the badge of theinvention may be worn in combination with a hat or visor in an uprightand legible orientation.

[0014] In one broad aspect the present invention may be considered to bea golf contest badge comprising: a backing shield formed with opposingfront and back faces and defining a disc-shaped tray having a flat floorlaterally surrounded by an upright wall, a ferrous plate permanentlysecured to the floor of the tray and extending only partially up theupright wall, and a magnetic golf ball marker removably positionable inthe tray atop the ferrous plate.

[0015] Preferably the floor of the tray of the golf contest badge has acircular shape and the ferrous plate is formed of steel and isconfigured as a disc with a segment removed therefrom. The golf ballmarker has a disc-shaped configuration so that it covers the ferrousplate completely. One portion of the ball marker thereby overhangs thecavity in the tray left by the missing segment of the steel plate. Thisallows the user to press inwardly against the overhanging portion of theball marker which thereupon tilts the opposite edge of the ball markerout from the tray where it can be grasped between the fingers of theuser and removed for placement on the playing field.

[0016] In another broad aspect the invention may be considered to be animprovement in a badge for a golfing event that is formed with alaterally expansive shield having opposing front and back faces. Theimprovement of the invention is comprised of a tray defined in the frontface of the shield and formed with a flat floor surrounded by a low,upright wall, a ferrous slab thinner than the depth of the tray anddisposed in the tray atop the floor, and a magnetic ball markerremovably disposed atop the ferrous slab and adhering thereto by theforce of magnetic attraction. The floor of the tray preferably has acircular shape and the golf ball marker is preferably shaped as a discof corresponding size. While the shield may be formed of rubberimpregnated with magnetized particles of iron, it is preferably formedas a steel plate.

[0017] In still another aspect the invention may be considered to be, incombination: a golf contest badge formed with a shield having opposingfront and back faces and into the front face of which a shallow cavityhaving a floor of uniform depth is defined, a ferrous slab having auniform thickness less than the depth of the floor permanently securedatop the floor in the cavity, and a flat magnetic golf ball markerremovably positioned atop the ferrous slab and held thereto by magneticforce. Also, this combination may be enhanced by the further combinationof these elements with a golf visor or a golfer's hat having a slitbounded by reinforced edges formed in the forehead protection portion ofthe visor or the fabric crown of the hat.

[0018] The badge has a flat clip projecting from its back face. The cliphas an attachment tang extending substantially parallel to the back faceof the badge. The tang of the clip has a width narrow enough forinsertion into the slit in the golfers hat or visor. Consequently, thegolfer is able to wear the badge in his or her hat or visor merely byinserting the clip through the reinforced slit. When the badge is wornthis way, all of the indicia on the badge and the name of the contestantare displayed in an upright, clearly legible orientation.

[0019] The invention may be described with greater clarity andparticularity by reference to the accompanying drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020]FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a golf contestbadge in combination with a magnetic golf ball marker according to theinvention.

[0021]FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view of the golf contest badge andball marker shown in FIG. 1.

[0022]FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a golfer's hat with a golfcontest badge according to the invention detached therefrom.

[0023]FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating the combination of thebadge and golf ball marker of the invention clipped to the hat of theinvention shown in FIG. 3.

[0024]FIG. 5 is a sectional elevational detail taken along the lines 5-5of FIG. 4.

[0025]FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the badge and ball markerclipped at a different location on a golfer's visor.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENT

[0026]FIG. 1 illustrates a golf contestant's badge indicated generallyat 10 formed with a flat shield 12 having a front face 14 and a backface 16. The golf contestant badge 10 is designed to be used inconjunction with a flat, disc-shaped golf ball marker 100, theconstruction of which is illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 4. The upper portionof the shield 12 in the embodiment illustrated has a generally circularconfiguration, while the lower portion 17 of the shield 12 is shaped inan elongated rectangular bar-shaped configuration so that the name ofthe contestant can be printed thereon. The shield 12 is formed of anonmagnetic material, typically brass or plastic.

[0027] A flat clip 18 is configured with a relatively long fasteningtang 19, a U-shaped return 20, and an anchoring tab 22. The anchoringtab 22 is secured to the back face 16 of the shield 12 by a strongadhesive, solder, welding, solvent welding, or any other conventionalmeans, depending upon the materials of which the shield 12 and clip 18are formed.

[0028] A shallow tray 24 is formed in the front face 14 of the shield12. The structure of the shield 12 surrounding the tray 24 serves as aconfining peripheral rim 21 that may bear a golf club or business logoor some other surface ornamentation. The interior perimeter of theperipheral rim 21 forms a short, cylindrical wall 23 that defines withinits confines a shallow, disc-shaped tray 24. The tray 24 in the frontface 14 of the shield 12 has a circular floor 25. The cylindrical wall23 of the tray 24 surrounds its circular floor 25. The tray 24 iscoaxially centered within the annular portion of the rim 21 of theshield 12 which preferably has an outer diameter of between about aninch and a quarter and an inch and a half. The tray 24 has a uniformdepth throughout of about 3.7 millimeters. The circular floor 25 of thetray 24 forms one surface of a web 26 residing at the center of theshield 12. The opposite surface of the web 26 is formed by the centralregion of the back face 16 of the shield 12. The web 26 is preferably nogreater than about one millimeter in thickness.

[0029] A substantially flat slab or plate 28 is provided and is formedof a ferrous material such as soft stainless steel or iron. The plate 28is shaped in the form of a circular disc with a segment removed beneathits straight, lower edge 29, which extends as a chord in the lowerregion of the disc-shaped tray 24. The flat plate 28 thereby occupiesmore than half, but less than the entire area of the recessed tray 24thus leaving an unfilled, segment-shaped portion of the tray, indicatedat 30 in FIG. 3, at the lower periphery of the recessed tray 24proximate the rectangular portion 17 of the badge 10 bearing the name ofthe contestant. The slab 28 is thinner than the depth of the tray 24.That is, the thickness of the slab 28 is less than the height of thecylindrical wall 23.

[0030] The steel plate 28 is preferably less than three millimeters inthickness and is permanently secured, typically by some strong adhesive,to the floor 25 of the tray 24. There is, therefore, a sufficient amountof unoccupied space atop the plate 28 and below the upper edge of thecylindrical wall 23 of the tray 24 to receive a flat, disc-shaped golfball marker 100. The ball marker 100 fits snugly within the confines ofthe cylindrical wall 23 of the tray 24.

[0031] The structure of the golf ball marker 100 is largely described inU.S. Pat. No. 6,170,088 and in the U.S. patent application Ser. No.09/640,054 filed Aug. 17, 2000, both of which are hereby incorporatedherein by reference in their entireties. The magnetic ball marker 100 isformed of a flat slab of ferrous material, such as steel, which isstamped to define a frame 102. The outer, exposed face 104 of the frame102 normally bears an indicia of a particular tournament and possibly aparticular golf club, a business logo, or some other visually prominentdecoration. The undersurface 106 of the ferrous frame 102 has a central,disc-shaped cavity defined therein surrounded by an annular, outerportion of the frame 102 which serves as a peripheral rim.

[0032] The frame 102 is preferably formed from a type of iron or steelthat is capable of some inelastic deformation so that the cavity can bedefined by stamping a disc-shaped depression into the undersurface 106of the frame 102. Alternatively, the cavity may be formed by milling outmaterial from the frame 102 at the center of the undersurface 106 usingan end mill and lathe. Other conventional methods of forming the cavitymay also be employed.

[0033] The cavity within the frame 102 is created to accommodate andseat a small, flat, disc-shaped permanent magnet 110. The magnet 110 maybe formed of magnetized iron, but is preferably a rare earth magnet,such as Nd—Fe—B (Neodymium/Ferrum/Boron) alloy. Other rare earthmagnetic materials which are also sold commercially are MM Magnet[Magnequench (Bonded NdFeB)], SmCo Magnet (Samarium/Cobalt), and AlnicoMagnet (Aluminium/Nickel/Cobalt). The diameter of the magnet 110 ispreferably just slightly greater than the diameter of the disc-shapedcavity within the frame 102, so that the magnet 110 can be permanentlysecured to the magnetically inert frame 102 by force fitting it into thecavity. The permanent magnet 110 is thereby gripped by the peripheralrim of the frame 102. It may also or alternatively be held in positionin the frame 102 by adhesive.

[0034] Preferably, the outer diameter of the frame 102 is either oneinch or three-quarters of an inch. These are the standard sizes for golfball markers that are widely utilized in the game of golf. The diameterof the cavity in the frame 102 is preferably about 11.98 millimeters andthe depth of the cavity in the frame 102, as measured from theundersurface 106, is preferably about 0.62 millimeters. The overallthickness of the frame 102, as measured at its periphery, is preferablybetween about 1.2 millimeters and 1.3 millimeters. By forming the frame102 of steel or iron, the strength of the magnetic field produced by themagnet 110 is enhanced.

[0035] The magnet 110 preferably has a diameter of twelve millimetersand a thickness of 0.6 millimeters. As a consequence, when the magnet110 is pressed into the cavity in the frame 102 the interference fitbetween the outer diameter of the magnet 110 and the inner diameter ofthe cavity creates a very slight inelastic deformation in the ballmarker frame 102 so that the magnet 110 may be permanently locked in thecavity without the use of an adhesive. The annular rim of the frame 102is deformed slightly to mechanically lock the permanent magnet 110 inthe cavity of the frame 102 of the golf ball marker 100. In the magneticgolf ball marker 100, the magnet 110 is permanently seated in the cavityand is laterally surrounded by the structure of the slab of ferrousmaterial forming the frame 102. Although illustrated as being a plain,undecorated, disc-shaped structure, the ball marker 100 more typicallyhas on its exposed face 104 which is visible in FIGS. 1 and 3, someornamental design relating to a specific golf tournament and/or aparticular country club or business logo.

[0036] The contestant badge 10 and magnetic ball marker 100 may be usedadvantageously in combination with a golfer's hat 200, as illustrated inFIGS. 3, 4, and 5. As shown in FIG. 3 the basic structure of the golfhat 200 is conventional. That is, the hat 200 has a fabric crown 202, abill 204, and a hat band 206. Unlike conventional hats, however, the hat200 has a short, horizontal slit 208 defined in the crown 202 parallelto and spaced about two inches above the lower edge of the hat band 206.The slit 208 is reinforced by thread at its edges in the manner ofbuttonholes that are typically formed in different articles of clothing,such as shirts and blouses. The slit 208 is preferably between aboutone-quarter of an inch and about three-quarters of an inch in length,and is cut to accommodate the width of the flat tang 19 of the clip 18on the back of the contestant badge 10.

[0037] As illustrated in FIGS. 3, 4, and 5, the wearer of the hat 200can easily and removably attach the contestant badge 10 to the hat 200by inserting the tang 19 of the clip 18 on the back of the badge 10 intothe reinforced slit 208. The contestant badge 10 can thereby be worn ona hat in a highly visible manner in which the magnetic ball marker 100is easily accessible to the wearer. To remove the ball marker 100 whenthe contestant badge 10 is being worn on the hat 200 as illustrated inFIGS. 4 and 5, all the wearer must do is to reach up with one hand,depress the lower edge of the magnetic ball marker 100 into thesegment-shaped cavity 30, grip the upper edge of the ball marker 100,and pull it way from the badge 10, thereby overcoming the magnetic forceof attraction between the magnetic ball marker 100 and the steel slab28. Following use, the ball marker 100 may be just as easily returned toits storage position in the tray 24 of the contestant badge 10.

[0038] While the embodiment of the FIGS. 3, 4, and 5 illustrates thecontestant badge 10 attached to the side of the crown 202 of thegolfer's hat 200, the slit 208 may be formed in other locations as well.FIG. 6 illustrates the contestant badge 10 being worn on a golf visor300 in which the reinforced slit that receives the clip 18 on the backof the contestant badge 10 is formed in the forehand protection area 302of the visor 300. The forehead protection area 302 of the visor 300projects upwardly from the visor band 306 at the location of the visorbill 304.

[0039] Undoubtedly, numerous variations and modifications of theinvention will become readily apparent to those familiar with golfcontests and golf accessories. Accordingly, the scope of the inventionshould not be construed as limited to this specific embodiment depictedand described, but rather is defined in the claims appended hereto.

I claim:
 1. A golf contest badge comprising: a backing shield formedwith opposing front and back faces and defining a disc-shaped trayhaving a flat floor laterally surrounded by an upright wall, a ferrousplate permanently secured to said floor of said tray and extending onlypartially up said upright wall, and a magnetic golf ball markerremovably positionable in said tray atop said ferrous plate.
 2. A golfcontest badge according to claim 1 wherein said floor of said tray has acircular shape and said ferrous plate is formed of steel and isconfigured as a disc with a segment removed therefrom, and the thicknessof said ferrous plate is less than the height of said upright wall. 3.In a badge for a golfing event formed with a laterally expansive shieldhaving opposing front and back faces, the improvement comprising a traydefined in said front face and formed with a flat floor surrounded by alow upright wall, a ferrous slab thinner than the depth of said traydisposed in said tray atop said floor, and a magnetic golf ball markerremovably disposed atop said ferrous slab and adhering thereto by theforce of magnetic attraction.
 4. A badge according to claim 3 whereinsaid floor of said tray has a circular shape, and said golf ball markeris shaped as a disc.
 5. A badge according to claim 4 wherein saidferrous slab is a steel plate.
 6. A to badge according to claim 5wherein said steel plate has the shape of a disc with a segment removedtherefrom.
 7. In combination: a golf contest badge formed with a shieldhaving opposing front and the back faces and into said front face ofwhich a shallow cavity having a floor of uniform depth is defined, aferrous slab having a uniform thickness less than said depth of saidfloor permanently secured atop said floor in said cavity, and a flatmagnetic golf ball marker removably positioned atop said ferrous slaband held thereto by magnetic force.
 8. A combination of according toclaim 7 further comprising a golfer's hat having a crown, and a slit isformed in said crown, and said badge has a flat clip projecting from itsback face and said clip has a width narrow enough for insertion intosaid slit in said crown of said golfers hat.
 9. A combination ofaccording to claim 7 wherein said slit is bounded by reinforced edges.10. A combination of according to claim 7 further comprising a golfer'svisor having a band, a bill projecting outwardly from said band, and aforehead shield projecting upwardly from said band at said bill, and aslit is formed in said forehead shield, and said badge has a flat clipprojecting from its back face and said clip has a width narrow enoughfor insertion into said slit in said forehead shield.
 11. A combinationof according to claim 10 wherein said slit is bounded by reinforcededges.